The number of motor buses in regular operation in the United States increased from about 15,000 in 1920 to approximately 90,000 at the end of 1928. The increase in the use of motor buses during these years was greater than has ever been experienced by any other new mode of transportation. The last two years have seen some slowing down in the rate of growth of motor bus transportation. Nevertheless, its expansion during these years continued to exceed the rate of increase in passenger transportation by airplane. Meanwhile, the passenger traffic of the steam railways has steadily declined.

Passengers Carried by Railroads(Class I carriers)

Passenger Revenue of the Railroads(Class I carriers)

Year

Number

Index

Dollars

Index

1920

1,232,846,000 =

100.0

$1,285,395,081 =

100.0

1921

1,034,161,170 =

83.9

1,152,995,583 =

89.7

1922

966,798,448 =

78.4

1,075,627,190 =

83.6

1923

986,004,995 =

79.9

1,147,423,486 =

89.2

1924

931,281,266 =

75.5

1,075,883,951 =

83.7

1925

885,726,639 =

71.8

1,055,097,597 =

82.1

1926

860,800,000 =

69.8

1,042,139,805 =

81.0

1927

829,010,000 =

67.2

974,884,081 =

75.8

1928

531,952,000

608,043,791

Eight months ending August 31, 1928.

The foregoing figures are for Class I railroads, that is carriers with operating revenues of more than $1,000,000 annually. For all railroads, the number of passengers carried declined from 1,269,921,946 in 1920 to 840,029,680 in 1927 - a decline of about one-third in a period of eight years. The lines of railroad operated by all carriers declined by 3714 miles in the same period.

Common Carrier Operations by Motor Buses

The greater part of the loss in railway passenger traffic since 1920 has been due to the private automobile, but railway executives from different parts of the country, in testimony before the Interstate Commerce Commission, have attributed from 10 to 50 per cent of the decline in their passenger revenues to the inroads of the motor bus.